Flooding Forces Evacuations in Northwest

AP

Published: November 25, 1990

FIR ISLAND, Wash., Nov. 24—
Crews searched for scarce sandbags and emergency shelters reopened today as rivers widened by heavy rains drove nearly 2,000 people from their homes in the second wave of floods this season.

The hardest hit areas were in western Washington.

At least 19 rivers were at flood stage today because of heavy rainfall in the Cascade Mountains, the National Weather Service said. Between six and nine inches of rain had fallen in the mountains in 24 hours.

As many as 15 highways were closed in places. Major road closings included Interstate 101 near Lake Crescent on the Olympic Peninsula and Interstate 2, a major east-west route across the state.

The flooding Cedar River closed the Renton Municipal Airport. Dike Damaged Again

For the second time in two weeks, scores of residents of Fir Island, about 50 miles north of Seattle, were evacuated as the rising waters of the Skagit River broke through a dike that was damaged in the earlier floods.

"I think we have to assume the worst at this point because the levees are in such tough shape," said Mark Stewart, a spokesman for the State Division of Emergency Management. He said that the levees had suffered extensive damage in the earlier floods and that they had remained saturated.

The Red Cross opened emergency shelters in affected areas and the state dispatched its last 35,000 sandbags to flood workers.

The state has already gone through a stockpile of 100,000 sandbags since Veterans Day weekend. Another 150,000 were on order, but have yet to arrive. 'Scouring' for Sandbags

"We are literally scouring the countryside to come up with additional sandbags," said Dick Milne, another spokesman for the state agency. "We've had so much rain in the last two weeks -- and especially in the last 24 hours -- the ground is saturated and it can't go anywhere."

Floods two weeks ago inflicted more than $40 million damage in Skagit, Snohomish and Whatcom counties. Gov. Booth Gardner has requested emergency Federal aid in that flooding.

Nearly 500 people were evacuated from Fir Island in the earlier flooding, which submerged 8,000 acres of farm land. Many people who had returned to begin cleaning up their homes were forced out again today. 'Nothing We Can Do'

Don Nieshe, 37 years old, said he and his family had been unable to return to their island home since the first flood and were staying with relatives on high ground. He was at the scene today, surveying the damage.